I passed through Copenhagen last year and I’m so glad I made the time to hang about for a couple days to do a whirlwind tour of this chic city.

A couple of big cruise ships were in town, tied up past the little mermaid, reminding me that Copenhagen is a firm favourite among shipboard visitors. Okay, I’m not much of an ‘art and design’ freak, so that narrowed my museum choices down to palaces, forts and historical sites, of which there are more than plenty.

Let’s take the maritime route for example. Swing by the Orlogsmuset (Royal Danish Naval Museum) at Overgaden oven Vandet for a glimpse of Denmark’s substantial naval history. It’s a boys’ own delight, with scores of magnificent ship models, paintings and artefacts dating back to the late 17th Century. The entire inside of the last Danish submarine is recreated within the museum. “Load tubes one and two! Mark!”

Hands up everyone who’s heard of the Battle of Køge Bay? Well, me neither. But the entire battle is recreated in a miniature diorama just in case you needed a hint. Okay, okay. On 1 July 1677, the Swedish and Danish fleets squared off 40km south of Copenhagen, about eighty ships in all. After a few hours of posturing and wet fingers in the air the wind changed, giving the Danes a huge advantage and they pounced, routing the Swedes without the loss of a single ship.

The natural companion to the naval museum is the Tøjhusmuseet (Royal Danish Arsenal Museum) back across the canal at Tøjhusgade 3. Even though the place is having a bit of an overhaul, there’s plenty of heavy artillery to get your teeth into. Cannons, howitzers and mighty muzzle-loaders galore are chock-a-block inside this largely unchanged early 17th Century stronghouse.

If you have time, get over to Holmen to see the three preserved warships; the frigate PEDER SKRAM, the submarine SÆLEN and the fast attack boat, SEHESTED.

Timing your visits is the trick, because opening hours for any museum in Copenhagen is sometimes limited to just a few hours in the afternoon. In summer, it’s longer.